Pak won't be party to any military action on Iran: Aziz

Supporting a diplomatic solution to Iran nuclear crisis, Pakistan has said it would oppose any military action against Tehran.

indiaUpdated: Mar 07, 2006 15:59 IST

Press Trust of India None

Supporting a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis, Pakistan has said it would oppose any military action against Tehran over its controversial programme to enrich uranium.

"We are of the view that there should not be any military intervention and we would certainly not be party to any such action," Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who is here to attend a two-day meeting on 'Asia 2015: Promoting Growth, Ending Poverty', told BBC on Monday night.

He said Pakistan has always supported a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis, especially through the forum of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

"We think Iran should not proliferate. We're against production of any nuclear weapons in the region. We think Iran does have the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under IAEA safeguards and guidelines," Aziz said.

Stressing that negotiation is the way to go ahead, Aziz said, "we oppose any armed conflict in the region to settle the matter."

"We remain cautiously optimistic that the negotiations will produce results," he said.

Replying to a question, Aziz said Pakistan was forced to build a nuclear bomb once India set off such a device in 1974. "Once this happened, we had to create a minimal credible deterrence to ensure peace in South Asia. In Iran's case, we believe this is not necessary."

Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Prime Minister had an hour-long meeting with his British counterpart Tony Blair during which they discussed Kashmir and Afghanistan issues, fight against terrorism and bilateral ties.